Becoming Ultra

Meg Eckert once trained for a 5K and was too afraid to show up at the starting line. Now she's one of the best multi-day runners in the world.
Meg joins Scott to talk about starting to run at 29, discovering trails, quitting smoking, learning through her first ultras, and developing a relationship with running built around curiosity, consistency and genuinely enjoying the process.
They also dig into Meg's incredible performance at the 2026 GOMU 6-Day World Championship in Hungary, where she covered 636.482 miles (1,024.319 km) in six days. She won the race outright, broke her own women's six-day world record, set the overall American six-day record and became the first woman to surpass 1,000 km in six days. 
Meg explains how she and her crew approached 144 hours of racing - managing sleep, pacing, food, transitions and all the little decisions that make multi-day racing such a fascinating puzzle.
But this conversation is about much more than records. Meg talks about realizing how many experiences she was missing because of fear and making a conscious decision to start saying yes, try new things and worry less about how well she did them. 
Chapters
00:00 – Meet Meg Eckert
05:55 – Starting to run at 29
09:00 – Running, smoking and changing habits
19:20 – Meg's first ultra
26:15 – "I get to do this"
28:30 – Inside a six-day race
34:25 – What happens when the race ends
38:30 – From fear to confidence
43:45 – Coaching and helping others discover what's possible
49:05 – Keep it simple and just start
Connect with Meg
Instagram: @_MegEckert
Facebook: Meg Eckert
Sharman Ultra Coaching: Meg Eckert – Sharman Ultra Coaching

Dr. Nick Tiller is an exercise physiologist, researcher, author, and longtime endurance athlete with a strong interest in one question: how do we separate what actually works from what just sounds convincing?
Scott and Nick dig into supplements, recovery tools, wellness influencers, social media, and the challenge of making good decisions in a health and fitness world full of conflicting information. They also talk about ultrarunning, including why Nick believes the training can be beneficial while repeatedly racing for 12, 24, or 48 hours places a very different kind of stress on the body. 
They get into recovery too: massage guns, compression boots, cold plunges, and similar tools may help you feel better, but true recovery still comes down to sleep, food, rest, and time. 
The bigger theme is critical thinking. Learning how to make better decisions instead of chasing every new supplement, hack, or wellness claim that comes along. 
Chapters
00:00 – Meet Dr. Nick Tiller
04:00 – Science, skepticism and health misinformation
15:30 – Influencers, sponsorships and conflicts of interest
21:00 – Nick's path into ultrarunning
25:55 – Is ultrarunning actually good for you?
29:55 – Recovery, training and what runners get wrong
39:55 – What everyday runners should learn from elites
45:35 – The Health and Wellness Lie
53:25 – Marathon des Sables and being present
Connect with Nick
Website: https://www.nbtiller.com
Instagram: @nb.tiller
X: @NBTiller
Books
The Health and Wellness Lie
The Skeptic's Guide to Sports Science

Steve Durbin has spent more than 20 years creating races, welcoming runners, solving problems behind the scenes, and building events that people return to year after year.
He started Land Between the Lakes in 2004, when there was only one other active ultra in Kentucky. What began with 90 runners grew into an event Steve describes as a "family reunion" - a philosophy that has carried through his years as a race director. 
Scott and Steve talk about what runners rarely see behind the scenes, why volunteers are an RD's most important resource, and why reading the pre-race instructions really does matter.
They also dig into Steve's long friendship with Laz, his six attempts at the Barkley Marathons, the creation of the Barkley Fall Classic, and what makes that course so brutally difficult.
Then there's Tunnel Hill. Steve intentionally designed it as the opposite of the "hardest race" trend. A fast, accessible course where runners could see what they were capable of over 50 or 100 miles. The result became a destination for first-timers and record chasers alike, with multiple world records set on the course. 
Through all the races and records, Steve keeps coming back to the people - the runners, volunteers, friendships, and memories that have made the sport such a big part of his life.
Chapters
00:00 – Meet Steve Durbin
01:35 – Starting Land Between the Lakes4
05:45 – Building races people come back to
08:45 – Steve's own running story
15:35 – Twenty years of race directing
22:35 – What runners don't see behind the scenes
26:45 – Barkley Fall Classic and working with Laz
41:20 – Steve's own Barkley experiences
44:40 – Why Tunnel Hill was built to be fast
48:20 – The people and adventures ultrarunning brought into Steve's life

Neal Palles knows the mental side of endurance sport from a few different angles. He's an ultrarunning coach, licensed clinical social worker, Certified Mental Performance Consultant, longtime runner, and former Outward Bound instructor. neal-palles
In this conversation, Scott and Neal dig into what mental performance actually looks like for ultrarunners especially when the race stops going according to plan.
They talk about learning through failure, why outcome goals can sometimes get in the way of execution, staying present when you're deep into an ultra, and how to recognize when your thoughts are starting to push you around.
Neal also gets into imposter phenomenon, comparison on social media, and the idea that you don't necessarily need to eliminate negative thoughts. Instead, you can learn to notice them, create some space from them, and get back to the next thing you can control. neal-palles
And yes, they also settle an important ultra question: Coke or Tailwind at mile 80.
Chapters
00:00 – Meet Neal Palles
02:00 – From Outward Bound to ultrarunning
10:00 – Learning through failure
13:00 – What mental performance actually means
20:30 – When fitness and race execution don't match
25:20 – Be present, open up and do what matters
30:45 – Imposter phenomenon in ultrarunning
32:45 – What to do when your brain tells you to quit
34:40 – Social media and comparison
37:00 – Quick hitters and favorite races
Connect with Neal
Instagram: @the.trail.mindset and @nealpalles
Website: thetrailmindset.com
Coaching: trainright.com/coaches/neal-palles
Upcoming project
Neal will be offering a Four Session Program called Mental Skills for Ultra in the fall or early winter.

Tim Gorichanaz didn't grow up athletic. His path into running started with a family 5K, moved quickly into marathons, and eventually led to ultrarunning and a nearly decade-long pursuit of Western States.
In this conversation, Scott and Tim talk about that journey - from Tim's first 50K in a Wisconsin blizzard to finally earning his spot at Western States, only to spend months injured during the build-up.
Tim shares what it was like to fight cutoffs all day, finish Western States in the Golden Hour, and experience the emotional intensity of finally reaching a goal he'd been chasing for years.
They also dig into something that doesn't get talked about nearly enough, post-race blues. Tim explains why finishing a huge goal can feel like losing an entire world you built your life around and why simply signing up for another race may not be the answer.
Along the way they talk nutrition, minimalist running, longevity in the sport, Tim's recent 130-mile Ring of Fire finish in Wales, and his upcoming ultra-running novel.
Chapters
00:00 – Meet Tim Gorichanaz
04:40 – From couch potato to ultrarunner
09:20 – Nutrition, recovery and minimalist running
22:40 – The long road to Western States
28:15 – Finishing in the Golden Hour
31:55 – Post-race blues and what comes next
39:10 – Ring of Fire: 130 miles around Anglesey
45:30 – Writing The Pennsylvania Death Race
Connect with Tim
Instagram: @timgorichanaz
Website: timgorichanaz.com